Divergence
In the Klingon augment virus In the Section 31 in the 22nd century In the Augments '' |image= |series= |production=40358-092 (416) |producer(s)= |story= |script=Judith Reeves-Stevens and Garfield Reeves-Stevens |director=David Barrett |imdbref=tt0572203 |guests=Kristin Bauer as Lieutenant Laneth, James Avery as General K'Vagh, John Schuck as Antaak, Terrell Tilford as Marab, Eric Pierpoint as Harris, Ada Maris as Captain Erika Hernandez and Wayne Grace as Fleet Admiral Krell |previous_production=Affliction |next_production=Bound |episode=ENT S04E16 |airdate=25 February 2005 |previous_release=Affliction |next_release=Bound |story_date(s)= December 2154 |previous_story=Affliction |next_story=Bound }} Summary Previously When Enterprise returns to Earth in time for the launch of the second NX class starship, Columbia, and Commander Tucker's transfer, Ensign Sato and Doctor Phlox are attacked in San Francisco, and Phlox is kidnapped. When Captain Archer and Lieutenant Reed investigate the scene, Reed is given a secret assignment by a secretive agent that he seems to know. Commander T'Pol, seeking information from Sato, conducts her first mind-meld, and the two realize that the attackers spoke Rigelian. They discover that a Rigelian freighter recently left orbit and head off in pursuit. Phlox is taken to Qu'Vat, a Klingon colony where General K'Vagh and Doctor Antaak seek his help to cure a Klingon plague, which Phlox soon determines was caused by Klingon experimentation with Augment DNA that self-mutated and escaped. When Antaak and Phlox are told that they have five days to cure the outbreak before it is too late, Antaak suggests that the only course of action is to create stable augmented Klingons, but Phlox refuses to assist further. After Enterprise investigates a destroyed Rigelian ship, they are suddenly attacked and boarded by Klingons with human appearance, one of whom is captured. Archer then discovers Reed's complicity in evidence tampering and confines him to the brig, before learning that the boarders sabotaged the ship, and he orders maximum speed in order to prevent the warp core from overloading. The ship increases speed to warp 5.2, the fastest it has ever been. Conclusion With the ship unable to decrease speed below warp 5, and the warp core reaching dangerous levels, Columbia and Commander Tucker rendezvous to provide assistance. However the crew realise that the transporter cannot be used at warp, so the ships will need to maneuver in close proximity in order for Tucker to be transferred. Captain Archer releases Lieutenant Reed from the brig to perform the transfer. Once on Enterprise, Tucker successfully performs a rapid non-standard cold boot on the warp engine, which purges the Klingon subroutines. Meanwhile, physician Antaak and a badly beaten Doctor Phlox update General K'Vagh on their progress. K'Vagh contacts Admiral Krell, who tells him that if a cure is not completed soon, the facility will be eradicated in order to contain the disease. Back on Enterprise, Archer questions Reed about his recent actions, and is contacted by Harris from Section 31, a secretive agency within Starfleet. Harris reveals that Phlox is on an important mission and little else, but Reed reveals his location as Qu'Vat; Harris contacts Krell, to inform him that Enterprise is on the way, and Krell reveals that he used Harris. Enterprise arrives at the colony, and Archer beams down to the base with Marab to confront the Klingons and Phlox. Krell's Klingon battlecruiser and two Birds of Prey arrive in orbit and Krell orders the ships to destroy the colony. Enterprise attempts to intervene but is engaged by the Birds of Prey. Columbia arrives and joins combat with the two Birds of Prey, while Enterprise impedes the battlecruiser. Meanwhile, Phlox infects a voluntarily restrained Archer, as he needs human antibodies for the cure. Antaak then transports a canister of the virus onto the battlecruiser which infects the crew, including Krell. Needing the cure from Phlox, Krell stands down the attack and the Klingon High Council soon agrees to distribute the cure throughout the Empire. Tucker then agrees to remain onboard temporarily to assist with repairs. Errors and Explanations Character error # When Trip was transferring from Columbia to Enterprise, he could have used the EV suit's thrusters to get across much quicker. That could have resulted in him moving outside the warp field. Plot Holes # Why didn't either crew suggest using a shuttlepod for the transfer? It would have taken too long, and would have been too risky. # How were the Klingons able to beam through even two shields when they transported the canister with the virus to the lead ship of the attacking fleet? They could have sent the transporter signal along the communication channel between the facility and the ship. Miscellaneous # At the beginning of this episode, as Trip is just about to transfer from the Columbia to the Enterprise, he is in an EV suit with the Enterprises logo prominently on the front. In the previous episode, Captain Hernandez told him to have the patch on his duty uniform changed. So either the Columbia is borrowing EV suits from Captain Archer, or the prop department goofed. Hernandez may have arranged for him to retain the Enterprise logo on his suit, in order to ensure compliance with his orders from the engineers on Enterprise. Nit Central # The Undesirable Element on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 7:50 pm: I can understand why they can't initially use the transporters to get Trip off of the Columbia, but once their warp fields merge, wouldn't that be just like simple transporting? Or do the transporters just not operate while the ship is at warp, period? They could be temporarily offline due to the Klingon sabotage. # Klingon ridges are part of their natural evolution. I can't, for the life of me, figure out how the virus caused Archer to develop Klingon ridges and personality traits. The virus was an enhanced flu and the Augments were human. It could contain traces of Klingon DNA. # Harvey Kitzman on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 10:01 pm: Let me add what to the other comments: the whole transfer scene and warp coverage of the Enterprise by Columbia was INCREDIBLY COOL! If they had done this in the beginning of the series.... I don't think even Scotty could shut down and start up the warp engines in 2 minutes. ScottN on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 11:49 pm: Spock did a cold start in The Naked Time (TOS). ' # ''elwood on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 8:05 am: You my think that Trips transfer while at warp was cool, but why the heck did Trip have to climb up instead of using come sort of motored device attached to the cable? The whole thing could have be done in 5 seconds. ''LUIGI NOVI on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 9:51 am:'' Because they likely didn't have any such device, and there was no time to make one. Captain Dunsel on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 12:34 pm: Trip should have had some sort of motorized winch to pull him across the gap between the two ships. Don't tell me that the entire cargos of two NX vessels don't include some sort of motorized winch device, even if not proper to use in this situation, couldn't be jury-rigged by some clever Starfleet engineer in a few minutes. Remember the spacewalk scene in 2010 The Odyssey Continues when Chandra leaves the Discovery for the Leonov? That's what should have been used.' # When Trip says he'll be back on Columbia (BTW he still wears the old uniform) how exactly will he do that now? Both ships are still at warp. Another stunt or did they stop for beaming him over? '''Maybe both ships stopped to assess the situation!' Notes Category:Episodes Category:Enterprise